Senior Programme Client

Are you seeking an opportunity to enhance your programme delivery skills?

Would you like an opportunity to work on one of the Government’s most high-profile railway enhancement programmes, supporting the regeneration of communities and regions across the north of England?

If so, we are looking for a highly motivated Senior Programme Client to monitor performance of our Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) programme, and we would love to hear from you.

Job description

The Government is committed to investing in the country’s infrastructure to grow the economy, improve productivity, and provide low carbon transport. As part of meeting these goals, we fulfil the client role for the development and delivery of railway enhancements.

TRU is a multi-billion-pound enhancement of the key east-west rail route between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield. This is one of the largest enhancement programmes on the rail network and is one of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) most significant live projects.

The TRU Enterprise brings together the DfT, Network Rail, regional Train Operating Companies (TOC), and the supply chain to ensure holistic, best-for-passenger decision making. Our DfT Client team sit outside of the TRU Enterprise, assuring programme performance on behalf of the programme’s Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), DfT ministers and other cross-government Departments.

As Senior Programme Client, you will collaborate with your counterparts within this integrated industry team to identify emerging risks and issues, analyse programme schedule and financial data for dissemination and presentation to senior leaders. You will also hold delivery partners to account to ensure best outcomes for the UK taxpayer.

In this role you will have the opportunity to work across the Department and wider government to understand and embed key lessons from other major programmes and to maintain an active network across government to ensure the Department’s role in supporting "best for programme outcomes."

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leadership: acting as the champion for the projects in the West of the route, working with industry partners to unblock any barriers to success. Leading by example and supporting the development of a high performing team culture and promoting effective individual and team performance.
• Clienting: ensuring the client’s requirements for the project are reflected in all engagement with the TRU Enterprise and working across teams to update them as appropriate through the project lifecycle.
• Governance and Assurance:applying effective application of portfolio and programme governance to support robust decision-making and updating and managing project and programme information to alert senior leaders of emerging risks and issues.
• Stakeholder Management: building and maintaining working relationships with key partners within the Department, other Government Departments, Network Rail, Train Operators, and other delivery organisations.
• Risks & Issues:identifying, monitoring, escalating and managing strategic risks and issues, and developing mitigating actions and escalations as appropriate.
• Communications: representing the Department’s priorities in the rollout of strategic communications for the programme and ensuring that the aspirations of ministers are understood and embedded into implementation plans and strategies.
• Line managementresponsibilities for one Programme Client.

Benefits of working in the Department for Transport:

• Flexible working
• 25 days annual leave for new starters rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service. Additionally, we offer 9 public and privilege holidays throughout the year including Christmas and Bank Holidays.
• Defined benefit (DB) pension scheme - member contribution rates start at 4.60% and we as the employer will contribute at least 26.6% of your pensionable earnings
• You can read more about our benefits at our Careers site: Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers (dft.gov.uk)

To read more about the role and for information on how to apply, please visit our advert on Civil Service Jobs